LIVE UPDATE: Incredible scenes at Birkdale as Kiwi Ryan Fox wins 2026 Open Championship with clutch birdie

3:36am (AEST): A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH! RYAN FOX WINS THE 154TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP! A wild week at Royal Birkdale ends with a walk-off birdie putt by popular New Zealander Ryan Fox.

The 39-year-old Kiwi claimed his first major in clutch fashion by winning the Open Championship thanks to a birdie on the 72nd hole to defeat Cameron Young by one shot. Have a look at this:

3:15am (AEST): Scottie Scheffler did end up talking about Bryson . . .

The World No.1 said he wasn’t going there following Saturday’s third round, but after completing his Open Championship on Sunday, he couldn’t resist discussing BrysonGate. His words, as always, were measured.

“All I can really say is I think maybe we need to be a little bit more strict in the way that we are policing guys,” Scheffler said, adding “but it’s a little bit of a balance because you’ve got certain guys like a Bryson who every shot he hits is going to be shown on TV. When you have camera angles that are far away, things can look different than they do when you’re right there.”

Scheffler sounded like he wanted to expand further, but he stopped himself, saying that he didn’t want anything to get taken out of context. Then, he came to Bryson’s defence.

“All I’ll say is Bryson, I’ve known him for a long time, and he’s a lot of things, but he’s definitely not a cheater. I’ve never seen him cheat once, whether we were having a putting contest on the putting green or chipping contest, or anytime we played amateur golf, I never saw anything suspicious.” – Christopher Powers

3am (AEST): Fox rejoins the lead! HUGE birdie at 16 from New Zealand’s Ryan Fox that sees him move to 9-under and back into a share of the Open lead with American Cam Young. Par-5 17th to come. Crucial moment in the tournament!

2:45am Monday (AEST): Cameron Young got aggressive on the final hole. Will it cost him the claret jug? Cam Young gave it everything. A front-nine 29, a birdie on 14, another on 17 and he was tied for the lead as he stood on the 18th tee. But a high quality, controlled round of golf – which could have seen him match the lowest final-round score in major history (63) – stumbled over the line as he found a fairway bunker off the tee, barely escaped the sand and finished with a bogey.

Now it’s a waiting game as to whether it’s enough to claim the title at the Open Championship.

“I felt like I had a chance to get the second one on the green,” he said after posting a 64 to get into the clubhouse at nine-under 271. “It was only 160-something yards to the front. So I felt like there was an off chance I could get something on the front edge.”

Starting the day in a tie for 20th, he immediately played his way onto the leaderboards at Royal Birkdale with a hat trick of opening birdies. Another followed at five and suddenly, he found himself in the hunt.

“I knew right off the bat, ‘OK, you’re right there.’”

With the wind freshening on the back nine, Young looked bulletproof. Par saving putts, low-rising irons off the tee, fairways, greens and a charge that saw him tied with Si Woo Kim arriving at his 72nd hole.

A discussion with his caddie and college teammate, Kyle Sterbinsky, resulted in driver being pulled. The same approach he used in the third round, finding the fairway bunker, making a bogey and dropping off the same leaderboards he was now atop of.

“Driver is aggressive there,” Young later admitted. “The only option to take out all the bunkers is to leave yourself like 265 in, which didn’t feel that smart to me either. I just figured go ahead and try to hit a good one.”

The drive found the same bunker. A decent lie but the same bunker. Thinking that 10-under par was the score he needed to potentially win The Open, he stayed aggressive, pulling a six-iron with the goal of hitting the green.

Things did not go to plan.

He caught his second shot slightly thin and looked up to see it hit the face and rebound into the right rough. The shock on his face was clear.

His third shot trickled into the greenside bunker and whilst his attempt at par from the sand came very close, he dropped his first shot of the day and finished nine-under par.

“I really felt like 10 had a good chance to win the golf tournament. It was just trying to win the golf tournament.”

We’ll wait to see if he still has a chance. – Jaime Kennedy

2am Monday (AEST): Adam Scott just keeps producing the goods. ‘Scotty’ provided another reminder of his enduring class, closing out his historic101st consecutive major championship appearance with a superb four-under-par 66 at Royal Birkdale. The former Masters champion mixed six birdies with just two bogeys to surge inside the top 10, producing one of the day’s best rounds and proving he remains a force on golf’s biggest stages.

At 46, Scott’s remarkable major streak continues, with Sunday’s polished finish another testament to the consistency and longevity that have defined one of Australian golf’s greatest careers.

1:15am Monday (AEST): Is this the worst lie you’ve ever seen? Scottie Scheffler’s cold putter is the main thing keeping him from reclaiming the claret jug, but a bad break late on Sunday didn’t help. After missing his tee shot right on the par-4 13th, Scheffler’s ball buried into a hole in a sandy dune.

The result? A second shot that went about 10 feet. The World No.1 did pretty well to save bogey from there, but it stalled his charge after he had climbed within a couple shots of the lead. – Alex Myers

1am Monday (AEST): Robert MacIntyre has tested the “code of conduct” waters on Sunday. Given all the 62s out there for the early wave, Bob Mac likely had designs on taking it deep Sunday. That’s exactly what his playing partner, Cameron Young, is doing. As for Bob, he’s gone backwards, which probably makes watching Young go crazy even more frustrating. After an early birdie at No.3, MacIntyre found a pot bunker on the fourth and had a terrible shot, but wound up hitting a good one to about 15 feet. He slammed his club in disgust anyway.

While he saved par, things deteriorated from there, with MacIntyre making bogeys at six, seven and 13. A birdie at No.14 cooled him down but only for a wee bit, as a poor drive at the 16th tee led to another club slam. As Karen Stupples reported on featured groups coverage, that led to a warning for his “behaviour”:

Bob made bogey at 16 and is currently on the brink of the top 40. Not how he expected this day to end, surely. – Christopher Powers

UPDATE: Bobby Mac confirms he got a slap on the wrist, and will probably get plenty more:

12:45am Monday (AEST): All work and no play makes Alex Fitzpatrick a dull boy. It’s been a transformative summer for the younger Fitzpatrick. He earned his PGA Tour card with a win alongside his brother Matthew Fitzpatrick at the Zurich Classic. He followed that up with four top-10s and was in the mix after 36 holes at Royal Birkdale before a disappointing weekend. On paper, it’s been the kind of summer you never want to end, but when asked about his post-Open plans on Sunday, Fitzpatrick was honest:

He’s ready for a vacation. – Coleman Bentley

12:20am Monday (AEST): Tommy Fleetwood’s final round gets off to a dream start. The most popular player in the field at Royal Birkdale gave his home crowd something to cheer about right out of the gate on Sunday. After finding the green on No.1, Fleetwood rolled in a 73-footer for birdie to jumpstart his round.

12:15am Monday (AEST): Cameron Young is making a big move on Sunday. A brutal back-nine 40 on Saturday seemed to end Cameron Young’s chances of claiming the claret jug this week. But in the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend!” Needing to get off to a red-hot start on Sunday to have any chance, the reigning Players champ did exactly that.

Young birdied his first three holes and then added birdies at No.5 and No.9 as he made the turn in 29 to move up into a tie for second. – Alex Myers

11.50pm Sunday (AEST): Final-round tee times have been delayed due to . . . a ruling? And, no, it doesn’t involve Bryson DeChambeau. But Bryson and anyone else teeing off after 1:05pm local time has been delayed by about 15 minutes because of a ruling involving Game No.32, which is the group of Daniel Brown and young Aussie Cameron John, according to NBC. While details haven’t emerged yet, the Open’s scoring app shows that Brown hit a provisional tee shot off No.1 and wound up having to take a penalty drop on his way to a double-bogey so it seems like that might be the cause of the delay. In any event, here are the original tee times for the final round. So, make another cup of coffee and enjoy.

11:45pm Sunday (AEST): Six shots back to start the final round at Royal Birkdale is quite different from four shots ahead at Royal Portrush. But Scottie Scheffler’s determination to win the claret jug seems no different. And judging from his opening hole on Sunday, he’s going to play aggressive. After just missing the fairway on No.1, Scheffler stuff his approach to within 18 inches.

Scheffler then proceeded to hit his approach on the second hole to inside four feet, holing another birdie putt to get to six-under, four now off the lead. If there’s a name that could put a scare in the leaders should it start to appear on the leaderboard, it’s Scheffler. – Ryan Herrington

9.45am Sunday (AEST): The Round 4 pairings for our Aussies and Kiwis are in – and they’re box office.

The hunted has become the hunter as Lucas Herbert scratched and clawed his way to a 1-over 71 to keep his hopes of a maiden major victory alive at The Open Championship.

Starting day three at Royal Birkdale Golf Club with a two-stroke lead, Herbert was tied at the top before he teed off, Kiwi Ryan Fox firing the third 8-under 62 in two days to match the lowest round in major championship history and ignite his tournament aspirations.

Herbert will start the final round three strokes back of American Sam Burns (65) and paired with Swede Ludvig Aberg in the third-to-last group, well within range to make a Sunday run at the Claret Jug.

The top of the leaderboard is littered with Australasian players with two former Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winners in Fox and fellow Kiwi Kazuma Kobori, Herbert and four-time Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia winner Cameron John all inside the top 11. – Tony Webeck via golf.org.au

Round 4 tee times AEST

5:50pm Min Woo Lee, Tyrrell Hatton

7:40pm Adam Scott, Patrick Reed

10:05pm Cameron John, Daniel Brown

1:15pm Kazuma Kobori (NZ), Hideki Matsuyama

11pm Lucas Herbert, Ludvig Aberg

11:20pm Ryan Fox (NZ), Sam Burns

5:10am Sunday (AEST): Is this one of the greatest recovery shots in golf history?

NBC’s broadcast team certainly felt so, and it’s hard to argue. After pulling his tee shot on No.17 well left and into a dune, Lucas Herbert was lucky to even find his golf ball. And after taking an unplayable penalty, it looked like he’d be lucky to even get his ball back in play. Instead, he took a violent lash and wound up nearly hitting the flagstick for a shot you have to see to believe:

Unfortunately for Herbert, he didn’t make the birdie putt, but still, what a par to stay in the hunt as he tries to win his maiden major title. – Alex Myers

5am Sunday (AEST): Bryson went full “performative” mode on 18.

Rory McIlroy’s “performative” label on DeChambeau may have sounded harsh, but there was an element of truth to it. Bryson is the ultimate showman, as he’s proven time and time again. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the latest episode of “Breaking 50,” or in the middle of winning the US Open, he’s going to play to the crowd no matter what.

The show went on, literally, at the 18th on Saturday, where DeChambeau was grinding out an impressive round to stay in contention. He pulled his drive into the left fescue, where the crowd began egging him on.

Here’s how Bryson arrived at his ball:

Surprised he didn’t do this on every single shot. Then again, not surprised he waited to do it until every last bit of attention was on him.

Unfortunately, DeChambeau did go on to make bogey, but his one-under 69 has still given him a chance at the claret jug on Sunday. – Christopher Powers

4.30am Sunday (AEST): Even Scottie Scheffler is ironically fist pumping missed putts now.

After three straight days of making almost nothing at the Open Championship, the World No.1 reached the end of his rope on Saturday evening. As Scheffler watched yet another six-footer slide by – this one for birdie on the par-5 17th – he raised his fist to the sky in some mixture of ironic celebration and triumphant protest.

Scheffler was equally animated after tapping in for par, wildly gesticulately to caddie Ted Scott about the uneven tracking of the Royal Birkdale putting surfaces. Scheffler doesn’t generally wear his emotions on his sleeve, but has struggled mightily from outside of seven feet this week. Late Saturday, his patience finally seemed to run out.

The defending champion ultimately shot an even-par 70, and sits five back of leader Sam Burns heading into Sunday’s final round. However, if Scheffler wants to make a run at a second straight Claret Jug, he’ll first have to make nice with his flatstick. – Coleman Bentley

4:15am Sunday (AEST): Jon Rahm just saved par from his knees!

The Spaniard’s immense short-game talents were really put to the test on the 18th hole on Saturday. Unable to take a normal stance, Rahm dropped down to his knees and pulled off a sensational sand shot on his way to saving par and shooting a third-round 70. Have a look:

4am Sunday (AEST): Bookmark that drive on 11 from Lucas Herbert.

After struggling over his first six holes, Herbert was able to right the ship with birdies on seven and nine to retake the lead. However, his driver leaked on the 11th and into a burn … only for his ball to rattle around each side of the hazard and pop up and land safely.

Incredibly, Herbert’s next shot also received a good bounce, seemingly heading long into the heather before taking a soft hop and coming down the slope, leading to a par. There aren’t many places in Birkdale to make a big number, so for Herbert to escape unscathed is something that could loom large the rest of the weekend. – Joel Beall

3:45am Sunday (AEST): “That was a moment.”

Those expecting fireworks from Bryson DeChambeau on Saturday after everything that transpired Friday have not gotten their wish. However, DeChambeau is not out of the tournament, humming along at one-under for the round, six-under for the championship. Things could have gotten away from him at the par-3 12th, though, where the pin is tucked on the right behind a dune and the wind is off the right. It’s the type of shot nobody is taking on, opting to bail out way left. DeChambeau, naturally, took it on, coming up miles short into a pot bunker, leaving him with a 10 out of 10 on the difficulty scale bunker shot over the dune. –

Bryson blasted one out to 11 feet, then drained the par putt. “That was a MOMENT,” remarked Paul McGinley on the NBC broadcast. It did feel like a big swing, especially with both of Royal Birkdale’s par 5s lurking, and the lead remaining in single digits. – Christopher Powers

3.30am Sunday (AEST) Herbert clings on to Open lead on tight moving day

Lucas Herbert was left still clinging on to his British Open lead halfway through his third round at Royal Birkdale on a day when New Zealander Ryan Fox lit up the Championship with another record-equalling 62.

Just as Herbert, the overnight leader by two shots, had equalled the lowest round ever recorded at a men’s major championship on Friday, Fox became the third man at Royal Birkdale this week to shoot a landmark eight-under round of 62 on Saturday.

Fox’s early brilliance meant that by the time Herbert was the last to tee off, he had already been caught at eight-under by his trans-Tasman colleague.

Then as ‘moving day’ unfolded on the Lancashire links, 30-year-old Herbert was initially knocked out of first place as his pursuers began to make a move, only to regroup after dropping a shot at the third hole to reach the turn in one-under and move back to the head of the leaderboard at nine-under.

As he moved into the inward half of his round, the Australian LIV star was one shot clear of Fox and Sam Burns, the other member of the ’62 club’ who’d also shot an eight-under round on Friday.

Just a shot behind them were charging local hero Tommy Fleetwood, Korean Si Woo Kim, Cameron Young and Herbert’s US playing partner Jackson Suber, who were all on seven under going into the day’s business end. – Ian Chadband | AAP

2:30am Sunday (AEST): The Rory McIlroy-Bryson DeChambeau feud explodes!

Following a one-under 69 on Day 3, Rory McIlroy lamented not making more of a move up the leaderboard before being asked about Bryson DeChambeau’s controversial penalty.

“I was watching it live. I was up in the players lounge watching it with a few other players, and as soon as he made the step into the ball, we all sort of looked at each other, and we were like, that didn’t seem right,” McIlroy said. “Then when I heard that he was called in by the rules officials, I think we all – it was pretty obvious for why.

“I think there’s no doubt that he improved the line of his backswing. Again, it’s like, whether it was careless or whether it was intentional, I don’t think it matters. Hopefully it was careless, but I think the two-shot penalty was justified for sure.”

As Australian Golf Digest detailed, the scenes following the R&A’s decision Friday night bordered on the surreal. McIlroy was watching from home, and was not a fan of what he was seeing.

“Yeah, look, I won’t pretend to be up here and defend Bryson. I’m not particularly fond of him. I think a lot of it’s performative. I think a lot of it’s for attention,” McIlroy said.

“To hold the tournament hostage like that, and to have all of us, players, volunteers, everyone waiting on him to depart, I didn’t feel like it was a great look.” – Joel Beall

1:40am Sunday (AEST): Can your playing partners affect your score?

Brad Faxon certainly thinks so. And he believes Scottie Scheffler got a bad draw playing the first two days with Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton, who he described on NBC as “two guys who are difficult to play with.” The eight-time PGA Tour winner added, “It’s almost like a two-stroke penalty.” Ouch.

Scheffler entered the weekend at four-under par through 36 holes. He’s playing with Francesco Molinari at Royal Birkdale on Saturday. – Alex Myers

1:30am Sunday (AEST): One of the PGA Tour’s most thoughtful players has come to Bryson DeChambeau’s defence.

There are plenty opinions circulating about the two-shot penalty DeChambeau received on Friday evening after his second round, but one worth highlighting came from Max Homa. The former King of Golf Twitter weighed in on the controversy surrounding the sport’s content king by saying – among other things – that he didn’t agree with the ruling and that DeChambeau “would never cheat the game of golf.”

It won’t give him back those two shots, but Bryson has to feel better knowing he’s getting some support from his fellow competitors. – Alex Myers

1am Sunday (AEST): Nick Faldo just fired another shot in his cold war of words with Bryson DeChambeau.

Before Friday’s run-in with some tall grass and R&A rules officials, Bryson DeChambeau’s biggest beef at Birkdale this week was with Nick Faldo. In the build-up to the 154th Open Championship, Faldo said DeChambeau “zero clue” of links golf strategy. DeChambeau clapped back after a strong opening round and on Saturday, Sir Nick made sure to let everyone know that it’s all good, they’re friends actually!

After Friday’s fesue fiasco, however, Faldo decided to poke the bear again, saying on Sky Sports, “Bryson wants to be the centre of attention and everything … I’ve got to believe it’s [the drama surrounding the rules incident] another hurdle to climb.”

A classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, but perhaps that’s the real reason for the pair’s simmering disdain for each other: They’re actully TOO much alike.

Pop psychology aside, we’ll see if DeChambeau chirps back or is as focused as he says he is. If he resists the bait, it might be the surest sign yet that he’s put the controversy behind him and is ready to contend for the Claret Jug. – Coleman Bentley

12am Sunday (AEST): Make it three 62s at Royal Birkdale in a little more than 24 hours.

Ryan Fox did the honours on Saturday, making nine birdies and a bogey to not become the sixth golfer to share the all-time men’s 18-hole scoring mark in a major, but grab a share of the Open lead with Lucas Herbert at eight-under. Like Herbert on Friday, Fox had a look at a putt for a 61 to break the record. Mind you, it was 47½ feet, compared to Herbert’s five, but given the fact his drive on the hole ended up in a fairway bunker, reaching the green in two was an accomplishment. Here’s how close Fox came to becoming the first to shoot a 61:

– Ryan Herrington

12pm Saturday (AEST): Bryson makes call on weekend participation

It looks like Bryson DeChambeau will most certainly be playing this weekend in the Open Championship.

After Friday’s rules issue that cost DeChambeau two strokes, discerning lip-readers believe that DeChambeau said to R&A officials that he wasn’t going “to play tomorrow.” A wild statement, given that DeChambeau, even with the penalty shots, trails leader Lucas Herbert by only three strokes.

DeChambeau then went out and pounded balls on the range into well after dark. Seemingly cooled down, DeChambeau did a short post on X confirming that he’d continue to go on.

And we might have trouble sleeping tonight in anticipation of what a spectacle it could be at Birkdale on Saturday with the pro- and anti-Bryson camps showing up in full throat.

****

11:40pm (AEST): The most disappointing 62 in major championship history?

Lucas Herbert might have a claim to it after his finish on Friday at Royal Birkdale. The 30-year-old Aussie had made nine birdies on his opening 17 holes and only needed a par on the 18th hole to shoot a 61 and break the men’s major 18-hole scoring mark. But he walked off with a bogey when he missed a five-footer for par after a wayward drive put the record in jeopardy.

Now he can claim the sixth 62 in a men’s major, joining Brendan Grace (2017 Open Championship, third round, Birkdale); Rickie Fowler (2023 US Open, first round, LACC); Xander Schauffele (2023 US Open, first round, LACC); Xander Schauffele (2024 PGA, first round, Valhalla); and Shane Lowry (2023 PGA, third round, Valhalla). Sam Burns would join him just 15 minutes later, signing off for a 62 of his own that was kind of missed by everyone in all the Herbert hoo-ha.

***

11:31pm (AEST): Nick Faldo responds to Bryson DeChambeau’s ‘strategy’ response . . . to Nick Faldo

We’re having a good old-fashioned response-off between a pair of major champions at the Open Championship this week.

Nick Faldo began this curious back-and-forth with Bryson DeChambeau by making comments on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast ahead of the tournament. The six-time major champ didn’t hold back regarding Bryson’s links golf strategy – or lack thereof.

“He has – I’d say it to his face – he has zero clue of strategy,” Faldo said.

Only it doesn’t appear he has said it to DeChambeau’s face. And after the two-time US Open champ shot 67 on Thursday, he responded to Faldo’s comments in a cheeky manner, using some form of the word “strategy” three times in one answer.

And on Friday, Faldo stoked the flames again by releasing a video message in which he stands by his original comments. However, he also noted that DeChambeau played smartly on Thursday, that he’s a big fan of Bryson and that the two text throughout the season. Have a look and listen:

OK then.

It should also be noted that DeChambeau broke a record at last year’s Open for a 54-hole span by shooting 65-68-64. And then added 67 on Thursday. So, whatever strategy he’s using seems to be working. – Alex Myers

***

11:00pm (AEST): Matt Fitzpatrick was never winning this golf tournament.

Expectations can be a helluva drug, and not the kind that makes you feel good. Coming into the week, Fitzy was playing some of the best golf of his life, making him a popular betting pick. There is no worse place to be. Just checked the “most tipped” chart from the Golf Tips Checker Twitter/X account, which tracked over 350 tips from 50 different sources in in the golf betting community (including our big brothers at US Golf Digest):

This is the last chart you want to see yourself on. More proof that the “public” being all over you is the kiss of death. Fitz, who made a birdie at the 11th that got him closer to the cut line on Friday, promptly made a double at the next hole to drop to four over. Unless he has, at minimum, three more birdies (probably needs four) and no bogeys in him the rest of the way, he will be headed home early. Other highly-tipped golfers on that chart include Wyndham Clark and Tom Kim, who both appear destined for a MC, too. – Christopher Powers

RELATED: Min Woo’s putting switch pays off at Royal Birkdale

***

9:00pm (AEST): Lucas Herbert enters the history books!

Australian Lucas Herbert has made a dramatic, record-equalling morning move in the second round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale to shoot to the top of the leaderboard.

The LIV golfer from Bendigo, five off the pace overnight sitting at level par, took advantage of perfect scoring conditions on the Lancashire links on Friday morning, equalling the lowest nine-hole score in Open history with a six-under 28.

Herbert’s six birdies in nine holes equalled the 28 also set at Birkdale by Englishman Denis Durnian 43 years earlier.

From nowhere, it meant the Victorian had raced straight to the top of the leaderboard at six-under, one shot clear of the overnight leader, American Jackson Suber, who was on five under after 14 holes.

It was a remarkable passage of play from the in-form Herbert, who revealed earlier in the week at Southport how the uncertainty surrounding the future of LIV Golf had taken a toll on him, and even made him consider his future in the sport.

The 30-year-old Victorian opened up by holing a 16-foot birdie putt at the first, and followed with a 15-footer at the second. He chased that spectacular start with a tee shot to five feet at the short third to move immediately to three under.

On Thursday, none of the seven Australian golfers had been able to break par, but Herbert was eagerly cashing in on the mild morning conditions on a baking links course that he had described as being like “playing a game of country cricket out on a real rural oval”.

On the 326-yard fifth, Herbert’s bold attack on the par-four meant his drive nestled up at the side of the green, and he nearly chipped in for an eagle, coming up an inch short as he settled for birdie number four.

At the short seventh, he didn’t threaten the pin with his tee shot, finishing some 36 feet away, but he holed the putt nonetheless to take the outright lead for the first time.

At the ninth, Herbert putted from the fringe from 25 feet to make it six birdies in nine holes, lying a shot clear of Suber and another American, Bud Cauley. – Ian Chadband | AAP

UPDATE (9:35pm): Herbert has kept his hot run going, now sitting at eight-under and two shots ahead of the field.

MORE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE HERE

***

Click here to read article